World-class artists bred in this school

MOUNT MAKILING, Laguna—Tucked in the mist-covered slopes of Mount Makiling, the country’s premier public school for the arts is busy molding the country’s future cultural ambassadors.

The gifted scholars embark on a rigorous, 12-hour daily routine of academic study, music, dance, theater, visual arts and creative writing at the state-funded Philippine High School for the Arts.

Surrounded by green woods, the atmosphere at the 13-hectare campus is far removed from chaotic urban sprawl.

A picturesque view of the Laguna de Bay below provides a calming scene from the cottages on the campus, about a two-hour drive south of Manila.

HONING TALENT Charizza Garcia, a student of Philippine High School for the Arts in Mount Makiling in Los Baños town in Laguna, exhibits her portrait paintings. AFP

“Our dream and goal is to ennoble the Filipino spirit—that we are good, that we can excel,” the school’s executive director and Jesuit priest, Carmelo Caluag, told Agence France-Presse.

“We are doing this because art and culture are the windows to the soul of the people, they nurture our spirit.”

The school began as a more informal haven for young artists in the 1970s.

It was established by then first lady Imelda Marcos, who lavished time and money on the arts during her dictator-husband’s 20-year rule.

Guarded by 2 deities

Marcos chose the slopes of 1,090-meter Mount Makiling as the site, which was named after the enchanting daughter of two deities who protected nature in local folklore.

It was, however, only in 1989 that then President Corazon Aquino signed an executive order establishing it as an official public high school for gifted children, a third-world replica of New York’s famous Juilliard.

The students at Makiling are now carefully chosen from thousands of applicants who audition for just over 30 slots a year.

The rewards of acceptance can be huge—past graduates have become famous musicians or artists or gone on to study abroad.

The 145 students get free board and lodging, and the school appoints a special tutor or master for whatever discipline each of them wants to pursue.

Rich culture

So deep is the government’s commitment to the school that despite the nation’s coffers being nearly bare, it spends an average of P300,000 a year on each student.

This is about 30 times the amount allocated for students at a regular public school.

While the Makiling students are afforded every chance at success, the school’s only hope is that they will pursue a career in the arts to preserve and champion the Philippines’ rich culture.

“There is no real contract between us and the scholars for them to repay us in kind,” said Caluag, 52.

Real world

Teachers also tried to prepare the students for the real world, he said, noting that a career in the arts could be financially frustrating at times—one reason some opted to go in another direction once reaching university.

WORLD-CLASS School graduate Candice Adea, 24, who won the silver medal in last year’s USA Ballet International Competition, considered the Olympics of dance, practices at Manila’s Cultural Center of the Philippines. AFP

“There is no clear distinct career after this experience,” Caluag said, but he stressed those who were really passionate about their chosen craft often enjoyed success after graduating.

Among the stand-outs is Candice Adea, now the principal dancer of Ballet Philippines.

Adea, 24, and her partner last year won the silver medal at the USA Ballet International Competition, considered the Olympics of dance, and she credits her success to the work ethic she developed at the mountain school.

Pursuing the dream

Adea said she was sent abroad twice to compete when she was a student at Makiling, valuable training that helped hone her technique and helped her realize that dance was what she wanted to pursue in life.

“They gave me the opportunity to see the real world of ballet. From that opportunity, I realized what I wanted to do with my career,” Adea said during breaks in practice at Manila’s Cultural Center of the Philippines.

“These experiences fed our minds. We got to go to different places and perform. Experiences that you would never have in other schools.”

‘Time to give back’

Fifteen-year-old Suzy Rellon is just embarking on what she hopes will be a similar journey.

Rellon left behind her parents and three siblings in the southern Philippines, which has been plagued by a deadly insurgency for decades, to begin her dream of one day travelling the world as a performing artist.

“Dance is my life. There is nothing else for me,” Rellon said, adding that she hoped to one day show the world the beauty of ethnic folk dance fused with contemporary music.

Anne Mimille Guzman, who graduated this year, has launched her first children’s book in Manila and proceeds of the sales will go to funding an arts workshop for public school children.

“I believe the mastery of the written word is a gift I can share to everyone,” the 17-year-old said. “We spent four years of our lives here. It is time to give back.” AFP